According to official and eyewitness accounts, the large Cedar Fest gathering -- which was banned in 1987 exactly because of parties like this -- was more or less peaceful until things began to get out of hand at around 1 a.m. when police waded into the mob to break up fights and detain two girls who flashed their breasts. The crowd began pelting the officers with bottles, cans and beer.

As things got worse, reinforcements were called in but the East Lansing police chief said at the time, “We’re going to solve this without a drop of tear gas."

Uh, how long have you been the East Lansing police chief, Chief?

Even more amazing, according to the Detroit Free Press article linked above, this desire by the police chief to not use tear gas came even after "his officers had been chased east on Waters Edge Drive by a now-riotous mob yelling obscenities."

So instead of tear gas, what did the ELPD try first? "Flash bang" grenades.

Yes, "flash bang" grenades. You know, the things Delta Force uses as they enter a suspected Taliban hideout in Kandahar.

Yeah, hey, no tear gas -- which is made for mobs like this -- let's break out the special forces and S.W.A.T. team toys first.

Unfortunately, the "flash bangs" didn't work as the police were up against a group more hardened and dangerous than radical terrorists: Michigan State students and East Lansing townies, who began chanting "We want tear gas! We want tear gas!"

This isn't that uncommon to have riots without sporting events. For years here the local college (Akron U) has a "May Day" event where the entire campus becomes one huge party with couch burnings and the eventual tear gas breakups. I don't know if this still goes on as I'm well out of the partying age but it was good times back in the day.

On a side note::From just your typical uneducated uninformed citizen in OH most everyone declares that Michigan is in "serious trouble." One family member of mine asked if I had heard that 3 lineman from MI quit to go to TUO$ because MI didn't land TP. Even my own father was saying that apparently this new coach (RR) was a horrible idea because of all the problems. I tried to explain what really is going on with the new S&C coach and harder practices and that in the end it will be a much better team and they just scoffed. I hate the media and always will because it reports whatever it wants to whether truthful or not

did any one see the South Park episode Major Boobage???The one where the kids 'cheese' ie, get high on male cat urine?pretty funny.

BAH--rest assured, the sky is not falling up here. Mike Barwis is EXACTLY what this program needed. Come fall when we see fast, fit athletes underneath the winged helmet who move the ball upfield, using ALL parts of the field, you will think that manna has fallen from heaven.

I never had any doubts. What I was pointing out was that the media is turning a storied program into a debacle because they can. I really hope RichRod gets those kids to come out there and win the Big Ten this year. I know it's highly unlikely but it's a hope. I'm also feeling good about the TUO$ game this year. They know they probably won't be competing for a NC this year so why not stress every minute in practice into winning that one game?

first, i'll bet she started wearing the cross because everytime she pulled her shirt up, someone said something to the effect of: "sweet jesus!".

second, where are all the moosu trolls, commenting about how we're losers, stuck up, how they "own" us (b-ball, at least), and (most importantly) how they really don't care what M fans say about them???

seriously, last week Yost posted the Crew game riot and got multiple tuos trolls calling names, lashing out. the tuos apologists all chimed in that Michigan fans are the ones obsessed and we should expect that kind of reaction.

i guess that's the difference between saying you don't care, and actually not caring, huh?

Hey Hammer! Glad you enjoyed your time at the U of A and the bottle throwing atmosphere. I was on the other side of the line. Maybe I bashed you with my BIGASS nightstick! Sad that is the type of student my local university puts out. At least we both bleed "Blue".

It's been entertaining, on the local radio shows, in the State News and on the website allmsu, there has been a lot of back and forth between the two camps of "Damn kids, quit ruining the image of the city/university, you should all be arrested and expelled!" and the "They were just having a good time, the cops are Nazis, eff the police!" with absolutely no middle ground.

Actually titleix, much of the kids in cedar village are townies, it has no official affiliation with the university. It is a magnet for kids who don't go to msu to come to east lansing and cause trouble.

If you ever find yourself stuck in a zombie film and are in East Lansing Cedar Village is the perfect place to make your last stand. The streets are narrow, it's tucked away with only 3 ways in or out, and the backside is protected by the river. Plus there are 2 liquor stores, a 7 Eleven, a pizza place, a Qdoba and a Baskin Robbins all within a block. Excellent for those "Oh-My-God-We're-All-Gonna-Die!" moments when you decide your last meal should be a burrito and a Big Gulp, or for those MacGyver-ish moments when you discover you can fight off Zombies with cheap vodka and a stick of beef jerky. Plus I live like a mile away, so you could stop in and say Hi!

A thought just occurred to me about the whole situation. Is it just me or is it ironic that the police used Flash-Bangs to break up a group of kids who were flashing? I'm sorry that was lame.

Melmet I never attended the U of A (the Roo) but I did frequent the annual Mayday festivities. One year I ran down Brown st naked. Almost arrested. Other years I would get lost and ask cops for directions since at that time they would be the only humans on the streets. Usually not fun when you're an inebriated 18 year old but they never gave me any problems. Are you in the Akron area now?

In all fairness, after the Chris Webber timeout game, the masses poured out onto S. University. It was a mostly quiet affair until some starting assaulting a mounted officer's horse. Tear gas flew shortly thereafter. The people arrested were from Detroit and Inkster.

Of course, we were not chanting "We Want Tear Gas". And there aren't too many boobies you'd want to see in A2.

True, but I saw several pair I rather enjoyed after we emptied out onto S. University after beating Kentucky. Some of my shots included police in riot gear. I think I still have the videotape somewhere.

If approx. 28 were arrested who were students and there were 52 arrests, I guess 54% were students--but I went to MSU so I'm not sure.

(Just kidding.)

I guess the point is not the ratio of students to non-students.

The point is the lack of foresight in committing sophmoric acts that are not really that "fun"--with no regard how you are going to explain, e.g., "assaulting a police officer" in a job interview or to a licensing board in about five years--which is why you went through the UNBELIEVABLE level of bureaucracy it takes to get enrolled into MSU in the first place.

Like I said, I thought they put the kibosh on this purported "social event" the year I graduated, which was 1987.

At one time, Cedar Fest debatably had a modicum of cultural value (it is my understanding).

But it has denigrated into an event that has no redeeming social value, and simply further strains the already strained relationship between the school and the city of East Lansing.

When I was there, they barricaded off the area and basically said, "We don't give a damn if it's prior restraint or not."

I keep wondering just exactly what the scene is going to be like for Spring Graduation, honestly folks 40,000 people in (?) the diag!! That is not even humanly possible (planning to set up 30,000 chairs) And ummm....yeah, where are we parking all of these people??? (certainly they will shuttle from other parts of the city) ( I do highly doubt of course that anyone is going to flash their boobs, and that there is little risk or rioting) I for one, plan to stay home in my apartment on that day......oye.....I can not even begin to imagine!

actually catie, I think that graduation will be kinda cool--although a lot like Art Fair in terms of the number of people congregated in a small space. people will be bussed in as there is absolutely no campus parking. But the Grads get to go thru the Arch (kinda like the Tunnel) to get to the ceremony. The stage will be up on the steps of the Grad Library. From a safety standpoint, there are enough points of egress from the Diag for it to be safe. It's what the students wanted--once they were asked.I hope it doesn't become a new tradition tho because it is a logistical nightmare!

Yes T9, I realize it is what the students wanted and I do feel good that the U accommodated their wishes and worked with them. It just seriously is a logistical nightmare and I am grateful that I don't have to attend! And honestly Kudos to the admins, if I were them and the students suggested the diag, I wold have shot that down so quickly, very nice to know we have admins that can play outside of the box!!

I am working on about 2 hours of sleep at the moment, so my thought process could be very skewed.

This reminds me of a review I keep trying to post on Amazon for 300 Spartans, but alas someone keeps pulling it down:I forget the year now, but Michigan State lost in the final four. To celebrate this event, Michigan State fans burn the city down. The cinematography for the East Lansing burning scene is just fantastic. Watch the drama, as the film follows four different fans on divergent paths....

Ah well....

Riots in East Lansing. Riots in Columbus. What's next, a peace march in Ann Arbor?

What I remember most fondly of Mayday was the ability to drive at a high level of speed on the freeway those nights. Since every police officer within 50 miles was downtown at the University.Good times. Nice to find out some of my locals are on here as well.

Follow the MZone

Subscribe To

The MZone-slash-MichiganZone.net-slash-MichiganZone.blogspot.com is in no way affiliated with the University of Michigan and/or U-M football in any way. If you thought it was, frankly I'm surprised you know how to use a computer.